


A Million Dreams

by Bizarra



Series: The Playlist Series [3]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-19 00:15:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14863040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bizarra/pseuds/Bizarra
Summary: Voyager is undergoing a refit and Kathryn is given an option to explore without Starfleet interference.





	A Million Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> OK, it's an AU series now. Because apparently I can't just write one story. LOL
> 
> Star Trek Voyager and it’s characters are copyright CBS/Paramount. I’m just playing.  
> A Million Dreams was written By: Benj Pasek & Justin Paul  
> The Greatest Showman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2017)

_'Cause every night I lie in bed_  
_The brightest colors fill my head_  
_A million dreams are keeping me awake_  
_I think of what the world could be_  
_A vision of the one I see_  
_A million dreams is all it's gonna take_  
_A million dreams for the world we're gonna make_

### Chapter 1

Kathryn Janeway leaned against the wall, nursing a hot cup of coffee as she looked out over her ship. _Her ship._ She smiled; it still felt odd to think that Voyager really was hers. Well, hers and Chakotay’s. _But, mostly hers._ Her smile broadened, with a hint of mischief, as she took another drink of her coffee. 

It had been a few months since that fateful day, when Voyager’s future had changed exponentially. Much of the work on the ship’s outer hull had been completed, thanks to the help of the crew at Utopia Planitia, who’d volunteered their extra time. Damaged and weapon-burned plating had been completely replaced; the ship was starting to look like her brand-new, old self again. They still had a lot of work to do and, now that the hangar bay was fully pressurized, they could get to it. Voyager was now parked, on the floor, in the center of the very large room.

From the second floor-walkway overlook, where she stood, Kathryn could see that when the Starfleet-identifying marks were removed, Voyager’s hull looked empty. They had left the registry number, but her name was gone. Removing the ‘USS’ designation had de-centered her name and it drove Kathryn nuts, so she’d asked them to completely remove Voyager’s nameplate. She would fix that, herself.

She wore a comfortable pair of blue jeans and a simple, light-red tank top. Her now mid-back length auburn hair gathered into a low ponytail, Kathryn bent to grab the handle of the box of items she’d gathered to repaint Voyager’s name on the top of the oval saucer section. She walked down the steps, into the hangar, and smiled as she approached the ship. “Good morning, old friend.” 

Kathryn set down the box and her coffee, then walked to one of the portable lifts the maintenance crews used to be able to reach the tops of the tall ships. She unlocked the wheels, pushed it aside Voyager’s saucer, and re-locked the wheels. She went back to get the box and coffee, slipped out of her shoes, and stepped barefoot into the lift. Once it reached the top, Kathryn stepped off and carefully walked to the center of the saucer, just above the registry numbers, and sat down. She’d started this project a couple days ago, and was at the point of just filling in the stencil-traced letters with black paint. Kathryn could have easily used a spray painter, but doing it herself, with brush and paint, was more hands-on; more personal.

Chakotay found her, a half-hour later, as she sat cross-legged, bowl of paint in one hand, brush in the other, fully concentrated on painting in the ‘A’. He smiled as he walked, also barefoot, to where his wife sat. He sat and leaned in for a kiss. “Good morning.” Chakotay lifted the cup he held in one hand. “Refresh of your coffee.”

She smiled. “I knew there was a reason I loved you.” 

Snickering as he stretched his legs out behind her, Chakotay propped himself up with one hand, while the other drifted lazily over her back. He leaned and pressed a kiss on her mostly-bare shoulder. “I thought we got you out of red,” he asked as he teased a finger along the edge of the fabric on the shoulder of her tank top.

Kathryn smiled and leaned back into the crook of his arm. “Maybe later.”

“Is that a promise?” His finger slipped beneath the strap and slid it down, following the fabric with lips.

“If you keep bringing me coffee, it is.” She grinned as she set the brush into the paint and leaned back into a warm, hungry kiss.

“Captain Janeway!” 

Kathryn startled when she heard her name and pulled away from her husband, then turned in the direction she’d heard the call. She recognized the slight, blonde woman and turned back to Chakotay, making a face. “What does Nechayev want?”

Chakotay shook his head and shrugged. “No idea.” He sat, allowing Kathryn room to move, and pulled the paint from her. “Go and see what she wants. I’ll paint for a while.”

Kathryn smiled and leaned for one more quick kiss. “Stay inside the lines.” She uncurled her body into a stand and yelped in surprise when Chakotay swatted her backside with a towel. She turned. “Hey!” 

He laughed and held the silver cup to her. “Don’t forget your coffee, Dear.”

Kathryn took the coffee with a crooked smile and walked to the lift. Once on the lower level, she slipped her shoes on and walked across, and up, to the formidable Admiral Nechayev.

She approached the woman with a smile. “Admiral, how are you faring these days?”

The diminutive blonde woman smiled. “I’m well.” She nodded toward the ship. “Voyager is looking much better.”

Kathryn exclaimed proudly: “All she needed was some love.”

“Mmhmm,” Nechayev smiled, “her captain, too, I suspect.” Her smile widened as Kathryn looked at her and grinned broadly. “You’re practically glowing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy,” Kathryn said as she turned toward Voyager. She noticed Chakotay had moved to a crouch and was painting something above Voyager’s name, and turned back to the smaller woman. “What brings you all the way to Mars?”

“I just wanted to let you know that your doctor’s hearing date has finally been set. It’ll be next Thursday, in the JAG building.” 

“Finally,” Kathryn turned to face the admiral. “What the hell took so long, Alynna?”

“Bureaucratic bullshit, most likely,” Nechayev shrugged. “There have also been a few in command who’ve started arguing over whether or not his program coding, itself, should be considered as classified Starfleet property.”

“Isn’t that the whole point of his sentience hearing?” Kathryn pointed out. “He’s far surpassed his coding.” She took a drink of her coffee and crossed her arms. “It’s not like we’re asking for him to be upgraded, or for a completely new EMH. He’s our friend, and he wants to come with us.” 

“There are more of us on your side than you think, Kathryn.” Alynna lay a sympathetic hand on the former Starfleet officer’s arm. “You and Voyager may no longer be Starfleet, but we intend to be great allies for you.” 

Nechayev handed Kathryn a PADD. “Starting tomorrow, we’ve got repair and maintenance teams coming in to replace and update some of Voyager’s outdated technology. Transporters, holodecks, sensors, weapons, engines, medical equipment, and the like.”

Kathryn looked at the PADD and back to the admiral. “Alynna, why is Starfleet doing this?” She started to hand the PADD back. “It’s Starfleet technology and we certainly can’t afford …”

Admiral Nechayev gently pushed the PADD back towards Kathryn. “Starfleet owes you more than a debt of gratitude, Kathryn. The data you brought us on how to defeat the Borg, alone, is worth a small fortune. That’s not even mentioning the new engine design you’ve discovered. But, what you went through, and survived in once piece out there, on gumption and will power alone; you don’t need Starfleet, Kathryn Janeway. Starfleet needs you.”

Kathryn was touched, but stood tall and defiant. “I’m not going back to Starfleet.”

Alynna shook her head. “No one is asking or expecting that. What I’m saying is that Starfleet considers that,” she pointed toward Voyager, “debt to be paid.”

Now, Kathryn was sceptical. “What does Starfleet want in return?” They wouldn’t just forgive several hundred thousand dollars in debt without a reason.

There was a hint of a smile on the diminutive admiral’s face. “We just want you to explore.” At the question that was about to be asked, Alynna put up a finger to interrupt. “As an independent contractor. You’ll get paid,” she explained, “and, knowing you, I know how exciting the idea of doing supply runs is.” She chuckled at the eye roll she got in response. “Voyager will be welcome at any Starfleet facility. Starbases, dockyards, and so on.”

Kathryn regarded the admiral warily. “You want us to go where Starfleet can’t.” 

Nechayev nodded. “Basically, yes. We’ll offer backup, should you ever need it, but, for the most part, you’ll be on your own. All the information is on that PADD.” Alynna gestured to the ship. “We want you to go out there and learn; discover new places.”

“I am not going back to the Delta Quadrant, if that’s what you’re trying to say without actually saying it,” Kathryn said with a precise forcefulness. 

Admiral Nechayev shook her head. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. There’s still a large amount of the Beta and Gamma Quadrants that are unexplored.”

Kathryn looked at Voyager and smiled. It was exactly what she’d wanted to do. “I’ll have to talk to Chakotay about it. Voyager is half his, and I’m not making any decisions without his input.”

Alynna nodded her agreement as she looked at the ship, and the man sitting atop her saucer section. “I envy you, you know. The ability to get on a ship, with your husband, and just… go.” She sighed. “I haven’t been in space for so long, I’ve forgotten what it’s like.” She gave Kathryn a knowing smile. “I’ve become that bitter Starfleet Admiral that no one likes.”

Kathryn returned her smile. “Any time you want an adventure, call us.”

“Careful, I may take you up on that,” Alynna laughed. She sobered and gestured toward the ship. “Anyway, you’re busy. Let me know what Chakotay says about my offer and we’ll see you next Thursday, at the JAG office.” 

Kathryn nodded that she would and watched as Admiral Nechayev walked away. She turned toward Voyager and watched for a moment; the idea Nechayev proposed had a lot of merit. She grabbed her empty cup and walked down into the hangar bay. Kathryn stopped at the replicator, first, and recycled the empty cup. She ordered another coffee for herself, and a hot tea for Chakotay. Within moments, she was again padding barefoot across Voyager’s saucer section.

Chakotay looked up from his work as his wife walked toward him. He took the tea she handed him with thanks. “What did Nechayev want?”

Kathryn sat and leaned against the edge of the hull plating that covered the light that, when on, illuminated the ship’s name and registry.. She straightened her legs and cradled the warm coffee in her hands. She saw that he’d painted two Native American symbols on the hull, above Voyager’s name. “What’s this?” she asked.

He moved to sit facing her and pointed to the arrow that covered the full length of the ship’s name. “That arrow is a symbol of protection.” 

“And the wagon wheel?” Kathryn asked, curiosity in her voice, about the symbol in the space next to her, above the arrow. 

Chakotay scooted closer, set his tea down, and took her coffee from her. He reached for her hands and kissed them. “It signifies a permanent home.” 

“Chakotay, “ Kathryn said softly as she leaned and kissed her husband. “I should have realized a long time ago that I was home, all along.”

“No more dwelling on the past.” He sat straight. “So, what did Admiral Nechayev want?”

“The Doctor’s hearing has finally been scheduled for next week.” 

“It’s about time. Did she say what took so long?”

Kathryn rubbed her hand across her forehead., “I suspect it would have dwelled in bureaucratic hell for a lot longer, had it not been for the second reason she wanted to talk.” 

“Oh?” Chakotay asked as he took a sip of his hot tea. “What was that other reason?”

Kathryn smiled and pulled her legs up, then laid her arms over her knees. “Well, Starfleet wants us to do what we do best.”

“Get lost?” he asked with a snicker.

“No,” Kathryn laughed and swatted him. “Explore. Without their interference.” She pulled the PADD out of her back pocket and handed it to him. “They’re going to update all of Voyager’s Starfleet technology, and consider the ship paid for, if we explore regions of space that they can’t.”

Chakotay blew out a breath as he looked at the information on the PADD. He glanced back to Kathryn. “What did you tell her?” It was a heady prospect. It would sure beat boring supply runs, but he wasn’t sure he liked the idea of being beholden to Starfleet.

“I told her I’d talk to you about it,” Kathryn explained. “Voyager is your ship, too, and I’m not going to make a decision like this on my own.”

“You are the Captain,” he said with a smile. 

She shook her head. “Huh uh. This decision is ours, not just mine.”

“It could be dangerous,” Chakotay said as he stretched out next to her.

“We’ve seen worse,” Kathryn countered with a smile, as she leaned to kiss him.

“I mean, really dangerous,” he reiterated, threading his fingers through her hair and trailing kisses down her neck. 

She closed her eyes as his lips found that sweet spot in the crook of her neck. “It’s a good thing we’re in a ship that didn’t blink at the Borg.” 

“Good thing,” he mumbled against her skin. 

Before she completely lost herself to the passion, Kathryn remembered where they were. “Chakotay … terrible … place…”

“Right.” He really missed not having a combadge. There was computer access on the saucer, somewhere. “Dammit, where’s the computer access panel?”

Kathryn laughed. “Outside the ready room ‘ports, three decks above us.” She pushed him away so she could stand and gathered their painting materials as she asked him to grab the cups and the PADD. “Let’s continue this conversation, inside.” 

“I’m more interested in exploring that spot just above your clavicle, at the moment.” 

“Patience,” she told him as she stepped into the lift.

Chakotay stepped in next to her and pressed the down button. “I’m giving Tom permission to work on combadges for us,” he grumbled in frustration. “A site-to-site transport would have really come in handy, just now.”

Kathryn laughed. “All right, but I’m limiting his design input.” Once at the bottom, they stepped out of the lift. “Grab our shoes, please,” she reminded him as she walked up to the temporary computer access port, next to one of the work tables that surrounded the ship. She tapped a few buttons. “Computer, site-to-site transport, for two, to the captain’s quarters.”

### Chapter 2

A week and a half later, Kathryn and Chakotay, along with Tom and B’Elanna, walked together into the JAG office, en route to the courtroom where the Doctor’s hearing was set to take place in an hour. They were meeting up with Seven-of-Nine, who had been working with the Doctor, on Jupiter Station. 

“Admiral Janeway!”

Kathryn turned at the sound of a very familiar voice. She gave a half-cocked smile as she saw the form of Lieutenant Harry Kim barrelling toward their small group. She crossed her arms and waited until he skidded to a stop in front of her. Harry hadn’t changed a bit. “Did you miss the part where I resigned from Starfleet?”

He reddened slightly. “Oh, right. Sorry,” Harry flustered, “old habits and all.”

Chakotay stepped beside Kathryn and smiled. “Harry, Harry, Harry. Relax.”

“Yeah, sorry Comman-” he closed his eyes and refocused. “Chakotay.”

Kathryn and Chakotay looked at each other and smiled. After giving Harry a moment to collect himself, Kathryn spoke: “Did you have something to say, Harry?”

“There’s a rumor going around the Voyager crew that’s still in Starfleet, that you’re going to be shipping out soon,” the young man explained. “I want to go with you.”

Kathryn felt Chakotay’s hand settle at the crook of her neck. “Harry, we’re not a Starfleet vessel anymore.” She nodded. “We’re going to be exploring outer regions of known Federation space, for Starfleet, but we’re doing it on our own.” She reached and lay a gentle, supportive hand on the Lieutenant’s upper arm. “You’ve got a wonderful career ahead of you. If you come with us, you’ll be throwing that away.”

Harry stood straight, ready for that argument. “Won’t you need a Starfleet liason on board?”

Kathryn shook her head. “I hadn’t planned on it. Voyager won’t be run as a Starfleet ship, anymore. We’re sharing data, but I’m not answering to them.” She could see the crestfallen look that Harry had tried to hide. She certainly wasn’t his mother, but she loved him just as his mother would, and knew he was hedging for something.

“Harry,” she said softly, “what do you want?”

Harry opened his mouth, closed it, and took a deep breath. His shoulders fell as he watched her. “I want to come home.” 

Kathryn smiled softly and stepped up to him, laying her hands on his cheeks, gently caressing with her thumbs. “Then we will work it out.” She pulled him into a warm hug. After a moment, she said, softly, so only he could hear: “But if you call me Admiral one more time, you’ll find yourself peeling potatoes in the mess hall for the entire voyage.” She pulled away and winked at him. 

“Sorry sir-ma’am.” Harry shook his head and gave her a helpless grin.

“Kathryn, Harry. My name is Kathryn.” She laughed at his pained expression. “But you can still call me Captain, if you insist.” She shook her head in amusement as he visibly relaxed. There was no taking the officer out of that boy. 

 

It wasn’t long after that, the group was called into the courtroom to begin the hearing. After hours of compelling arguments, on both sides, the court was adjourned so that the Admiral could deliberate and make a decision; one that could drastically change the rules and laws governing holograms, and holographic people, in general. 

As the small circle of friends sat at a table in the cafe, to await the decision, they talked of past lives. Kathryn reached her hand over to the Doctor’s and squeezed. “I think we made a good argument. The fact that you had a family, at one point, may work in your favor.”

The Doctor gave her a smile. “I may have learned quite a bit from my holographic family, but,” he gestured around the table, at Tom, B’Elanna, Harry, Seven, Chakotay, and the woman he spoke to, “it’s the family that’s sitting around this table that truly taught me how to live.”

At that moment, the page stepped into let them know a decision had been made.

They all moved back into the courtroom, where Rear Admiral Bennett gave them his decision. He was hesitant to make a blanket ruling, due to wide ramifications of holography and holographic characters in entertainment venues - such as holodecks, holosuites and the like - but, in the specific, individual terms of the Doctor, Bennett could see no other option than declare him an independent and sentient being; one who should probably start thinking of a name.

There were cheers and hugs, all around. Tom suggested they all adjourn to a nice restaurant for dinner.

The group ended up at the Cliff House, which had been built and rebuilt over the years, but still stood on the edge of the cliff, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It had become a popular spot for Starfleet officers, in the past years.

They occupied a table in a corner, and jovially laughed amongst themselves. Jokingly coming up with names for their newly-independent friend, Tom had suggested Richard, so they could have a Tom, a Dick, and a Harry. After all the suggestions, the Doctor finally settled on the name he’d had for years: Doc. His name would be Doc Zimmerman. 

Kathryn smiled as she lay her head on Chakotay’s shoulder. If she thought back to the beginning of their journey home through the Delta Quadrant, that Kathryn Janeway would have never believed the trip would have had an ending like this. 

An orchestra started playing and Chakotay stood and pulled his wife to the dance floor. “Penny for your thoughts,” he asked, with a kiss to her forehead as they swayed to the music.

Kathryn tipped her head slightly to look up at him and smiled. “Just wondering how the me of seven years ago would react if she knew we’d end up looking forward to jumping back into Voyager and leaving Earth for civilizations unknown.” 

“Not to mention, married to me,” Chakotay added with a smile.

Kathryn laughed and tapped her finger on his chest. “She was an idiot.” She traced his lips with her finger. “A complete, dense, idiot.” She leaned and replaced her finger with her lips.

 

In the ensuing months, as Voyager got closer and closer to being space-worthy again, Kathryn began to put together a crew. It was no surprise to her that the majority of her original crew had quickly volunteered. She hated to refuse anyone, but, with one exception, she did not want any active Starfleet crew aboard. They had careers and she wasn’t going to ask them to give up their futures for Voyager. 

The only exception had been Harry Kim. She’d spoken with his current commanding officer, aboard the USS Rhode Island, and with Admiral Nechayev, and had successfully transferred Harry to Voyager as a Federation liaison. Her only caveat to Lieutenant Kim had been that she wasn’t going to stick to Starfleet Protocol, only to her own moral compass, and he was not to argue with her on that point. He’d agreed to the demand, readily.

In the end, she had a crew of one hundred. Definitely bare-bones for a ship that could carry close to two hundred. But, given that fact that Voyager was now a private vessel, Kathryn didn’t think she needed or wanted any more than that. 

Voyager was now docked at one of the outer docking arms of Utopia Planitia, her refit mostly-complete. Kathryn and Chakotay were now fully-moved onto the ship; as were Tom, B’Elanna, and Miral Paris. The rest of the crew would be gathering and moving on in the coming weeks. Voyager’s departure date was set for the next month, January. They’d spend one more Christmas on Earth and then fly off for … anywhere.

Kathryn stretched as the turbo-lift opened onto the bridge. She walked out, around the upper deck, down the steps, and moved down to the conn. She tapped a sequence into the computer and then waited a moment. Her combadge, a crimson-colored, slightly uneven V over a silver oval-shaped housing, buzzed and she tapped it. “Tom, on my mark, let me know if the control is still sluggish.” She tapped the enter sequence key. “Mark”

“Still sluggish, Captain,” came his reply, after a moment.

“Damn.” She slid off the chair and onto the floor. “Okay, let me try something else. Give me a minute.” Kathryn shoved the chair out of the way, grabbed her tools, and crawled halfway underneath the console. For some reason, the piloting controls were not reacting correctly, and the command wasn’t getting to the rudders fast enough. 

Kathryn heard the lift doors open and scooted out to see who’d just come in. She smiled when she saw little Miral toddle in, followed by her mother. “To what do I owe this visit?”

“I’m bored,” B’Elanna grumbled and plopped herself into the chair Kathryn had just cast away. 

Kathryn laughed. “Everything fine in engineering?” 

B’Elanna splayed in the chair and spun it around. “We’re not going anywhere, at the moment. The warp core is purring like a brand new kitten.”

With a laugh, Kathryn handed the tool she held to the bored half-Klingon. “Here. See if you can figure out why Tom’s controls are sluggish.” She uncurled to a stand. “I’ve looked at the bottom of that console until my head hurts and I can’t find it.” Kathryn stretched her back. “Maybe you can do it.” She pointed at her combadge. “Tom’s in a shuttle behind Voyager, trying to figure it out from there.”

B’Elanna smiled and moved to the floor.

Kathryn turned and chuckled as she noticed the toddler had climbed into her chair, and was playing with the Voyager toy. “I see there’s been a mutiny, already.” She walked back and sat herself in Chakotay’s chair. “Has she eaten lunch yet?”

B’Elanna shook her head. “That was my next objective,” she smirked, “after we took control of the ship.”

Kathryn laughed and stood, then picked up the toddler. “C’mon, you little traitor. Let’s go see what’s for lunch in the mess hall.”

##### Stardate 57527.89 (January 15, 2381)

Voyager’s refit was complete and it was finally launch day. Kathryn was a ball of nerves. They’d had a small, private, re-dedication ceremony, the previous night, attended by Voyager’s current crew; some of her old crew, who were staying behind; and Admirals Paris and Nechayev. Both of Voyager’s dedication plaques leaned against the wall on the bridge, ready to be hung. Kathryn insisted they keep Voyager’s Starfleet plaque on the wall, as well, to honor her Starfleet service. 

Kathryn looked around her bridge and smiled. Chakotay sat in his customary place, to her left; Tom Paris at the conn, with his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter on his lap; B’Elanna sat at the engineering console; Seven stood at Operations; and Lieutenant Kim manned Tactical. Kim was the only person wearing a Starfleet uniform. 

She turned and reached her hand for Chakotay. Pulling him to a stand, Kathryn smiled. “We do this together.” She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss. “Alright, Mister Paris,” she smiled, “take us out.”

He turned. “Heading, Captain?”

Kathryn turned to Chakotay and shrugged. They both sat, hands held across the closed monitor between their seats. “Pick one, Tom.”

fin


End file.
